Kirsten Verdun was named to the BIG EAST Conference Honor Roll on Monday along with teammate Paige Peterson.

May 7, 2012

CHICAGO – For the first time this season, two DePaul softball players were honored at the same time by the BIG EAST Conference.

Kirsten Verdun and Paige Peterson were both named to the league’s Honor Roll on Monday after leading the Blue Demons to a 3-1 record last week.

This was the seventh time this season Verdun has been singled out by the BIG EAST for its weekly awards. The sophomore ace has been Pitcher of the Week once and selected to the Honor Roll six times.

It was the first award for freshman outfielder Paige Peterson, who has found her batting stroke in recent weeks.

Peterson went 4-for-8 last week and enhanced that .500 batting average with a home run, two RBIs, two runs scored and three walks. She had a slugging percentage of .875 and an on-base percentage of .636.

Verdun was 3-1 on the mound last week with a 1.35 ERA in two wins over Providence and one against Northwestern. She had 27 strikeouts in 26 innings and opponents hit just .167 against her.

Verdun has been the workhorse for the Blue Demon pitching staff this season. The left-hander will likely make her 17th consecutive start on Thursday when DePaul faces USF at 9 a.m. in the first round of the BIG EAST Championship tournament at Notre Dame.

In single-season pitching annals at DePaul, Verdun is tied for third in games started (37), tied for fourth in strikeouts (237), tied for fifth in innings pitched (236) and complete games (30).

This BIG EAST Player-of-the Year candidate is 25-12 with a 1.69 ERA and leads the Blue Demons with 11 home runs , 40 RBIs, 59 hits, 12 doubles, 25 walks, a .581 slugging percentage and is tied for second in stolen bases with seven.